North Instead Of South, Another Lighthouse, and The Wright Bros. Memorial

Avon, NC
49 deg. clear, no wind.
Forecast today = high temp. 64 deg. becoming mostly cloudy with a 40% chance of rain. South wind @ 5 to 10 mph.

Yesterday was very much like Monday, except instead of taking CLT and heading South, Jim and Linda took CLT and headed North.

It was about 1:00 by the time they got under way, and before they could leave town, they had to stop and get CLT a drink of 87 octane gasoline. Once he had his drink, CLT took them up Rt 12 and to their first stop, the Bodie Island Lighthouse, (pronounced "Body"), which is located just South of Nags Head.

CLT said that as he approached, he could see the lighthouse and it just didn't look right, so when they pulled into the visitor center parking lot, he wasn't surprised at what he saw. You see, they are completely refurbishing the lighthouse. It was built in 1872, stands 150' tall, is equipped with a first-order Fresnel lens, and flashes it's 160,000 candlepower beacon 19 miles over the ocean. According to the Ranger in the visitors center, was very much in need of repairs.

So, the view was not what Jim and Linda had expected, but it's good to know that they are repairing the lighthouse and it will still be there, and in good shape, for years to come.

From the lighthouse they continued North on Rt 12, through Nags Head, Kill Devil Hills, and all the way up to Southern Shores.

Now, I must bring up the fact that there are 2 roads running up this part of the Outer Banks. From the town of Whalebone, Rt 12 runs up the Eastern side of the outer banks and all the way up to Southern Shores, while Rt 158, (a 4 lane highway), runs up the Western side of this part of the Outer Banks.

Jim and Linda took Rt 12 North, and saw all the houses along the beach, the small little restaurants and gift shops, and came back South on Rt 158 where all the Wall-Marts, fast food restaurants, and shopping centers are located.

CLT says that it's like two different worlds that are only blocks apart.

On the way back South on Rt 158 they did stop at the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills. This complex is spread out over a large area, so it would have been way too much walking for Linda to do. So, being that they had been to the Memorial before, Jim just took a few photos from the parking area.

If you're ever in the area, stop by. There's a lot to see and do, and they have a replica of the airplane that the Wright Brothers first flew on display.

From the Memorial, they continued South on 158, down to Whalebone, where they got back on Rt. 12 and followed it back here to Avon. CLT says that he traveled over 100 miles, and it was about 4:30 by the time he returned.

When we first got here to the CG, Jim asked about restaurants here in Avon and the lady in the CG office recommended a restaurant called The Mad Crabber. On the brochure that I saw, it says that the Mad Crabber was the first crab house on the outer banks, and "It's the kind of place that whets you appetite for life and great food".

Well, being that it was late and neither Linda or Jim felt like cooking, they headed over there for dinner. Again, they weren't disappointed. Jim had crab cakes, and Linda had flounder, and both were excellent. Jim said that these crab cakes were even better than the one he had down in Ocracoke. They said that the meals were kind of "pricey", but then it seems like most things are kind of expensive out here on the Outer Banks.

Did you know that the Wright Brothers made their first "Controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight", on December 17, 1903?